BEREA, Ohio — The Browns are set to take on the Los Angeles Chargers Sunday inside Huntington Bank Field, and they'll do so with their star cornerback in the mix as Denzel Ward has been cleared from concussion protocol.
Ward was placed in the protocol after last week's game against the Baltimore Ravens, where he was taken off the field for evaluation for a head injury. He did not return to the game and in the post-game press conference, head coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed Ward sustained a concussion and was going into the protocol.
Concussions are no new thing for Ward, who has now sustained six concussions since entering the league in 2018. After sustaining his fifth concussion during training camp this summer, Ward discussed concern about the growing number of brain injuries but expressed no desire to step away from the game.
“I know people worry about the number and everything, but [I] can't let that affect me. I still come out here, I'm looking forward again, I'm glad to be back and playing," Ward said in August. "This is a game I love, man. I love playing this game. Being with the guys out here, I really don't see myself doing too much other stuff, so unless I'm just really physically unable to play this game, I don't see myself stepping away from football no time soon."
Ward's latest concussion saw him miss two days of practice. On Friday, Ward returned to the practice fields, and Stefanski said that the cornerback had just one more step in the concussion protocol before he could be cleared.
On Saturday, Ward reached that step and was removed from the protocol. His injury designation of "questionable" for Sunday's game has been removed, and he will play against the Chargers.
In addition to clearing Ward ahead of Sunday's game, the Browns also placed linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah on injured reserve and elevated defensive tackle Sam Kamara from the practice squad.
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